Grandma Abner’s Apocalypse Bread

Or, A Bonus Recipe From The Red Plague Trilogy

Pretend it’s the zombie apocalypse and you have only enough electricity in the generator to power the oven. The fresh milk and eggs have been substituted for dehydrated powder.

Ingredients

Apocalypse Bread Ingredients
I was able to make the rolls with non-perishable ingredients. And they tasted exactly like the ones I made with real milk and eggs.

2 tablespoons yeast

2/3 cup dry milk with 2 cups water (or the equivalent to 2 cups milk)

4 tablespoons egg crystals with 6 tablespoons water (or the equivalent to 2 eggs)

½ cup warm water

8 tablespoons shortening

7 cups flour

6 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons salt

Directions

Step One: Mix wet ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. Add shortening.

Apocalypse Bread Mixing
Mixing ingredients with a spoon (and then by hand).

Step Two: Slowly add flour and dry ingredients. Mix well.

Step Three: Knead dough by hand until mixed and soft. Sprinkle extra flour on hands and counter as you knead.

Step Four: Raise the dough in a bowl (covered with a cloth) at room temperature for one hour.

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The bread is rising!

Step Five: Grease inside of 13×9 glass baking dish with shortening.

Step Six: Knead dough again by hand until soft.

Step Seven: Separate dough into about 16 balls and roll smooth by hand, arranging them in greased dish.

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I miscalculated the sizes of the rolls so I only made 23, but there they are preparing to rise a second time.

Step Eight: Raise the dough in the dish (covered with a cloth) for another hour at room temperature.

Step Nine: Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Apocalypse Bread Baked
The rolls came out of the oven warm and golden brown.

Can be eaten warm or cold. Wrap them up and stuff them into your backpack before you set out on the open road to find other survivors.

Apocalypse Bread Eating
My favorite part is smelling the yeasty dough and sampling the buttery goodness.

**When I was writing the Red Plague Trilogy I wanted the survivors to make a food item that was both a little unusual but also reminiscent of home. This is a family recipe that can be found in a 1977 church cookbook of recipes handed down for generations. Read about these dinner rolls in Antidote (Red Plague #2) and Panacea (Red Plague #3).

<3 Anna

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